I weighed myself for the first time in two years and discovered I had put on around 21lbs! I havent been exercising much over the winter and have become flabby everywhere! I want to slim down from my current 168lbs to 140lbs, I am 5ft 8 inches. I have started to jog - slowly and a bit stop and start at the moment - and also do zumba around three times a week. How often does everyone else exercise? I also need to cut my carbs drastically. but I live for potatoes and pasta so any ideas on things I could eat that will keep me full? Tried big bowls of salad but I am always starving soon after! Got some holidays booked for this year so got a bit of motivation. Any help and advice would be great I just joined FitDay today.

It sounds like you are off to a great start. To keep yourself full, try eating some protein and some healthy fat in each meal. I know that people tend to demonize carbs, but they also help keep you full and provide satiety (even on a brain chemical level). For me, the key has been balance. I eat potatoes, I eat pasta, but not all the time, and when I do have them, I try to balance them out with other things as well.

Keeping the pie chart (protein, fat, and carbs) in the right balance for you will help you be successful. The trick is to know what the right balance is, and that will take some experimenting. That's where FitDay comes in really handy. You have your food logged in and your pie chart in front of you, so take note of the patterns you see on the days you feel your best and fullest.

Have you thought about adding some strength training to your exercise? So many benefits to that. You might also want to Google the Couch to 5K program; it's a great way to ease yourself from walking into running.

Good luck, take a look through the other threads, and don't hesitate to throw out any comments or questions you might have! You are smart to get a handle on your habits before they have a chance to spin out of control.

__________________Cassie

And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.
-John Steinbeck

Would recommend Cardio six days a wk and strenght training 3x's a week. Lots of water and yes cut carbs or a minimum stick to the healthy ones. Don't totally deprive yourself of things you like just have smaller portions. I also try not to have the carbs after 4pm. I also do Zumba and love it...6 days a wk

Would recommend Cardio six days a wk and strenght training 3x's a week. Lots of water and yes cut carbs or a minimum stick to the healthy ones. Don't totally deprive yourself of things you like just have smaller portions. I also try not to have the carbs after 4pm. I also do Zumba and love it...6 days a wk

Wow Kag, you are an exercise demond! Good for you!

Since not everyone can jump into a 6 day a week routine, Pam you might want start with an every-other day schedule, but keep upping the instensty. Zumba is fun, but if you have been doing it for a while you might want to change things up a bit. I have a good friend that can out-step aerobics anyone because she's been doing for ages. But as soon as she tries something else like a kick-boxing routine or even yoga she's whipped.

And like Cassie recommended, log your food for a while and see where you strengths and weaknesses are. I too have never met a potato I didn't love, but I have learned to relegate them to special occasions. I still get to have them from time to time so I don't feel deprived, but they now occupy a different position in my own personal food pyramid.

thanks for the tips and support, just been checking my pie chart and after three days i can start to see how handy its going to be! yeah i dont think i could quite manage six days cardio kag, thats impressive, every other day is probably going to be a good start - and i managed to jog an extra 1.2km this morning! just ordered a yogacise dvd and a high impact aerobics dvd so will try alternating them because i know what you mean about changing things up, started to feel like i could do my zumba class half asleep, just checked out the couch to 5k website too which is amazing. really am feeling motivated at the moment, hope it lasts! hubby is training for a endurance cycle race too so hes on board with the menu changes thankfully as i dont think i could cope to watch him eat things im cutting back on! loving the support on the forum, will be a regular on here for some pep talks no doubt!
pam xxx

Pam, it's great to hear you sounding so pumped up. If you like, come join us over on the 7-Day-Motivational thread in the Women's Corner section. We each set our own goals for the week and check in and offer support. Everyone's at a different place working on different things, but there are enough things in common that it makes for a great time. We usually start every Monday, but you can jump in anytime!

__________________Cassie

And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.
-John Steinbeck